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Friday, 7 December 2012

10 of the Best: 6# MEDLINE

After a short break we’re back with our feature ‘10 of the Best’, promoting some of the top information resources for students, staff and researchers across the Faculty. And this month we’re looking at Medline.

Now you can probably tell that we’re not ranking these top 10 resources in order because otherwise Medline would almost certainly be up there at number 1. Containing more than 8.7 million records and with over 5,516 journals indexed, Medline is probably the most comprehensive database of medical and health care literature available. So if you’re looking for journal articles or conference proceedings to support your studies or research, Medline is the place to go.

But how do you go about searching such a mammoth database?

Well before you do anything you need to make sure that you’re logged into MUSE. Medline is available via a subscription paid for by the Library so if you want full access wherever you are, make sure you log into MUSE first. Then from the Library tab access the Library's catalogue StarPlus and search for 'Medline'. From the search results select 'Medline via OvidSP' and click 'view online'.

Once you’re connected to Medline you can then begin your search. There are both basic and advanced search options but for the most thorough search you should always choose the advanced search box. From here you can link your keywords to the database’s subject headings, ensuring none of your search terms are missed, and you can explode or focus your results as needed.

Check out our Medline tutorial for a full guide on using Medline as well as all our top tips on getting the most out of your search;